Surah al-A`raf (The Elevated Places) 7 : 181

Overview (Verses 181 - 183)

A Community with a Well Defined Purpose

The sūrah has so far described types of people, particularly those whom God has destined to abide in hell. These are described as ones who “have hearts they cannot understand with, and they have eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear.” (Verse 179) A group of them are described as ones who `blaspheme against God’s names’ and distort them. The sūrah goes on to describe other types of people, telling us about a community which holds fast to the truth and calls on people to believe in it, and implement it with determination and conscientiousness. At the other extreme there is a community of people who deny the truth and reject God’s revelations. The sūrah tells us clearly that the first community exists without a shred of doubt. They guard the truth and hold tight to it when other people abandon it and deviate far away from it. When others reject the truth as a lie, they remain steadfast. The sūrah further explains that the others shall have a dreadful end, as God will punish them through His mighty schemes: “Among those whom We have created there is a community who guide others by means of the truth and with it establish justice. As for those who deny Our revelations, We will lead them on, step by step, from whence they cannot tell; for although I may give them respite, My subtle scheme is mighty.” (Verses 181-183)

Humanity would not have deserved any honour had it not been for the fact that there will always be, even in the worst circumstances, that community which God calls by its Islamic term, ummah. By definition, the ummah is a community which believes in the same faith that remains its basic bond, and obeys the same leadership that supervises the implementation of that faith. It is then the community that adheres to, and implements the truth, in all situations. It is the guardian of God’s trust, the witness to His covenant with people, and it is the community to provide God’s evidence against those who go astray turning their backs on His covenant.

The description given here of this community deserves reflection. It is a community “who guide others by means of the truth and with it establish justice.” (Verse 181) This community will continue to be present at all times, even though it may at certain periods be very small in number. Its main characteristic is that those who belong to it “guide others by means of the truth”. (Verse 181) They call on people to accept the truth, and will never relinquish their task of advocating the truth. They are not happy to keep it to themselves, or to be inward looking. They try to publicize the truth they know, and guide other people to it. Thus, they have a role of leadership among those around them who have strayed away from this truth, and who have violated their covenant. They adopt a positive attitude, which is not limited to knowing the truth but goes beyond that knowledge in order to advocate the truth and guide to it.

“As for those who deny Our revelations, We will lead them on, step by step, from whence they cannot tell; for although I may give them respite, My subtle scheme is mighty.” (Verses 182-183) This is indeed the power they do not reckon with when they launch their ferocious battle against this faith and the community that follows it with conscientiousness and makes it its basic bond. Those who deny God’s revelations remain always unaware of this power, and can never think that whatever means they are given are no more than something with which to lead them on, step by step. They are only given respite for a while. They do not believe in the might of God’s subtle schemes. They support one another, and they only believe in the power they see with their eyes on earth. As a result, they forget about the Almighty, the One who commands all the power. But God’s law in respect of those who deny His revelations remains the same. He gives them free rein, and allows them time to indulge in their excesses and disobedience. But all this only leads them along the road to ruin. A subtle but mighty scheme is being prepared for them. The question is: by whom? It is by the Almighty who has all power. While they remain unaware, the great prize is prepared for the believers who guide others by means of the truth and work for the establishment of justice on its basis.

But this is not all that they do about the truth. Their other characteristic is that they `establish justice’ with the truth. This means that they go well beyond knowing the truth and advocating it, to take positive steps to implement the truth in human life and make it the criterion for judgement in order to establish justice that cannot be based on anything other than the truth. The crux of the matter is that the truth has not been revealed only to remain a mere branch of knowledge studied by scholars, or even an admonition to point out the right path. The truth has been revealed so that people conduct their lives according to it. It should govern people’s concepts so that these are moulded in accordance with it, and it should govern people’s rites of worship so that these provide a practical image of the truth in as far as the relationship between human beings and their Lord is concerned. The truth has also been revealed in order to mould practical life so that all systems are in line with its principles and subject to the laws derived from it. It also shapes people’s habits, traditions, moral values and behaviour, as well as their philosophical doctrines, culture and all branches of knowledge, providing the criteria to evaluate all these. When all this takes place, the truth is present in human life, and justice, which can only be based on the truth, is established. Thus, the establishment of the truth in human life is the task undertaken by this community, after having made the truth known and worked to guide other people to it.

This religion of Islam has a nature that is too plain to admit any ambiguity, and too solid to allow any equivocation. Those who stand against this faith find it exceedingly hard to force it out of its clear and solid nature. Therefore, they exert tireless efforts and mount ceaseless campaigns, utilizing all means and methods, in order to change its direction and obscure its nature. They resort to unrestrained brutality to crush the advocates of Islamic revival in any part of the world, utilizing certain regimes that they establish and support. They even utilize professional scholars to work against this faith, distorting God’s words, and making lawful what God has forbidden. These professional scholars try to make God’s law appear equivocal and they bless indecency and promiscuity, even giving them Islamic labels. They pat on the back those who are fascinated by materialistic culture and admire its theories and systems. Their aim is to manoeuvre Islam into imitating these theories and situations and to borrow materialistic laws and methods. The Islamic faith, which provides a system to govern all aspects of life, is described by such people as a historical event that took place in the past and cannot be brought back! At the same time, they lavish praise on this past to pacify the Muslims of today. They then tell them that Islam should remain alive today in the hearts of its followers as a set of beliefs and acts of worship, not as a law or code of living. Islam and Muslims should be satisfied with their glorious past. Alternatively, they go on, Islam should be subject to evolution, so that it submits to the realities of life, endorsing everything that people wish to adopt of concepts and laws.

To consolidate the regimes they create in the world that was Islamic, they provide theories that take the form of a faith and religion to replace the old Islamic faith. They even provide for these theories a Qur’ān to be recited and studied so that it can replace the Qur’ān revealed by God. As a last resort, they try to change the nature of society in these countries, in the same way as they try to change the nature of this religion, so that Islam will not find receptive hearts to accept its guidance. They transform communities into human beings that are lost in the quagmire of pleasure, sex and lust, preoccupied with the necessities of life to ensure their survival, and unable to find these necessities without hard toil. Thus they ensure that after having worked hard for food and sex, people are unable to listen to any voice of guidance or to think of religion.

It is a ferocious fight against this faith and the community who guide others by means of its truth and try to establish justice with it. It is a fight where no qualms are shown about using any type of weapon, in which all means are used and for which all the forces, talents, media and international organizations and machinery are mobilized. Indeed, it is merely to sustain this fight and add to its fuel that we see certain regimes supported and patronized by world powers. Needless to say, such regimes would not survive for a day without such support.

Nevertheless, the clear and solid nature of this religion stands firm in this ferocious battle. The Muslim community that guards the truth despite its small number and poor equipment, continues to resist with success the brutal efforts that aim to crush and exterminate it. God will certainly accomplish His purpose.